News
Abreu named AL Player of Month for July
Outfielder bats .380, compensate for loss of Vlad, Hunter
By Tom Singer / MLB.com
08/04/09 6:02 PM ET
Bobby Abreu, whose recent performance helped compensate for the injury absences of Torii Hunter and Vladimir Guerrero and kept the Angels flying high in the West, has been named the Sharp Presents the American League Player of the Month for July. Abreu batted .380 during the month, driving in 28 runs and scoring a league-best 26. His .467 on-base percentage also paced the AL. The veteran from Venezuela reached base in 25 of his 26 games in July, 13 of which were multi-hit and seven of which were multi-RBI. The monthly award is the second of Abreu's career, but his first in the AL, which he joined on July 30, 2006, when the New York Yankees acquired him from the Philadelphia Phillies. Abreu stands on the threshold of a milestone accomplishment: His next home run will pull him alongside Joe Morgan, Rickey Henderson and Willie Mays -- all Hall of Famers -- and Barry Bonds and Craig Biggio as the only players in Major League history to amass 250 homers, 2,000 hits, 1,000 runs, 1,000 RBIs, 1,000 walks and 300 stolen bases. For helping the Angels post a 19-7 record during July, Abreu became the first member of the team to receive monthly honors since Guerrero, who had the honor in September of 2004. Runner-up for the citation was Texas third baseman Michael Young, who batted a robust .375 with six homers and a slugging percentage of .635. Young also drove in 18 runs. Others receiving votes were another pair of Angels, first baseman Kendry Morales (seven home runs, 20 RBIs) and shortstop Erick Aybar (league-leading .414 average, going 36-for-87).Tom Singer is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
